THE FATHER of aesthetics doctor Nandipha Magudumana and a former G4S employee have been charged with murder in connection with the death of a man found in Thabo Bester’s cell in the Mangaung Correctional Centre.
Magudumana’s father, Zolile Sekeleni, and Senohe Matsoara, the former G4S staffer, appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday in connection with Bester’s escape from prison.
Sekeleni and Matsoara face charges of aiding and abetting a convicted prisoner to escape from lawful custody.
Matsoara also faces a charge of arson for allegedly playing a part in starting a fire in Bester’s cell.
It was believed Bester died in his cell in May last year.
However, last month authorities conceded Bester had escaped from prison after GroundUp revealed the body found in the cell was not Bester’s.
Sekeleni and Matsoara are expected to apply for their release on bail at their next court appearance on 17 April.
Sekeleni, 65, was brought to Bloemfontein from Port Edward in KwaZulu-Natal, where he and his wife lived since the news of Bester’s escape broke last month.
Bester and Magudumana, his girlfriend, were on the run from 22 March when the news broke that Bester had not died in the fire that broke out in his cell at the Mangaung Correctional Centre on 3 May 2022, as had been widely reported.
They were eventually tracked down and arrested in Tanzania on Friday night. A Mozambican national, who was with them and believed to have been assisting them, was also arrested.
A delegation, led by the police’s deputy national commissioner, Lieutenant-General Tebello Mosikili, arrived in Arusha, Tanzania, to start the process of bringing them back to South Africa.
National police commissioner General Fannie Masemola welcomed the arrests and hinted at the possibility of more arrests.
Meanwhile, the G4S security is appearing in Parliament today.
The international company has been subpoenaed to explain Thabo Bester’s escape of which they denied, insisting he died in prison, reports Sydney Morweng- News Ed.
Image supplied (Magudumana’s father, Zolile Sekeleni, left and Senohe Matsoara, the former G4S staffer, appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday in connection with Bester’s escape from prison).
